1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a flow-meter data collection and processing system which is adapted to be utilized with a trailer truck with a portion of the system being mounted in a compartment at the rear of the trailer tank truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Heretofore, a trailer tank truck for picking up liquid from a number of different sites, such as a milk truck for picking up milk from various farmers, had a small compartment at the rear of the trailer tank truck in which was mounted a pump, a motor for the pump and a hose adapted to be connected to the farmers bulk cooler.
The amount of milk delivered to the tank truck was determined by first inserting a measuring stick into the milk cooler to determine the level of the milk in the cooler, then an operator would pump the milk out of the bulk tank cooler into the tank truck and proceed to the next bulk tank cooler and make a similar measurement.
The height of the milk in the milk cooler was directly related to the number of gallons in the bulk milk cooler. In this respect, the measuring stick was calibrating in gallons per unit height of the milk cooler.
This technique works satisfactorily but was cumbersome and awkward. In this respect, a clean measuring stick had to be available and the quantity of milk in each milk cooler had to be measured and entered on a log. Then all entries on the log for each of the farmers had to be added up to determine the amount of milk received from all the farmers.
One improvement to such a flow-metering system for a milk-collecting vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,887 which teaches a method of sampling and an associated sampling apparatus which collects individual aliquot amounts of milk based upon the calculated number of meter pulses between sample intervals.
The method and apparatus disclosed in this patent for carrying out the sampling includes a computer that receives a signal from a flow meter which has access to and from a memory. The computer takes input from a magnetic-type card reader and provides an output signal to a sampling device.
Also there has been proposed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 237,057 filed Aug. 29, 1988 for "METERING ASSEMBLY FOR TANK TRUCK/TRAILER," a system where the motor in the compartment is energized by a control circuit which is coupled to a frequency scaling board. The frequency scaling board is also connected to a printer and to a flow-meter. With this arrangement, the amount of milk pumped and sent to the flow-meter can be calculated by the frequency of the scaling board, which at the same time controls the operation of the motor. When the pumping is finished, the frequency scaling board can tell the printer how much milk has been pumped from the farmer's milk flow cooler into the tank truck/trailer so that a printed receipt from the printer can be supplied to the farmer.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the flow-meter data collection data processing system of the present invention differs from the prior art systems described above by providing removable data cassettes which are utilized to collect data in an on-board processor forming part of the system.
Also, the system of the present invention differs from the prior art systems described above by utilizing two processors, one is an on-board unit, and the other is an off-board or base unit which is connectable to a "personal computer" which can manipulate the collected data utilizing well-developed software, such as data management software sold under the trademark D Base or D Base III+.
The data collection and processing system can also be used as a "custody transfer control system" for a trailer tank truck which carries a supply of liquid from one location to another, such as from a storage center to a plurality of establishments having soda fountains.
Further, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the flow-meter data collection and processing system can include temperature monitoring systems, heater mechanisms to maintain a desired environment, and a self-contained input/output structure which provides start/stop functions of truck-based pumps and reading of operator input devices such as an associated keyboard or keypad.